THE MOMS, Denise Albert and Melissa Gerstein, hosted a Mother’s Day Mamarazzi® Brunch Event and Taping of The Moms SiriusXM Stars 109 Radio Show with Actress and Founder of King of Harts Melissa Joan Hart, Country Star Jo Dee Messina and Actress Alysia Reiner on Wednesday, April 29th, 2015 at Artisanal Fromagerie & Bistro. The event, which brought together influential moms and media, featured a panel discussion recorded for SiriusXM with influential mothers in media and business. The episode taped during the event will air Monday, May 4, 2015 at 8:00 PM Eastern, 7:00 PM Central and 5:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.

Guests were treated to bites from French bistro ArtisanalFromagerie’smenu, which features enticing options such as Croque Monsieur Madame with ham, gruyere and egg and Lobster Roll with a butter brioche, fresh leaves and fries. This Mother’s Day, Artisanal Fromagerie Bistro will boast a special Mother’s Day pre-fixe including a gourmet gift basket specially curated for moms featuring cheeses, jelly, crackers and a bottle of wine valued at over $100.

Following brunch, the first panel discussion was moderated by Melissa Gerstein and included Cozy Friedman, Amy Newmark, Lisa Sharkey and Maureen Sullivan. For Friedman, motherhood has led to her taking SoCozy brand of child hair salons into a haircare product line, which recently became available nationally and soon on HSN. Amy Newmark discussed leaving Wall Street after purchasing the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” brand because she felt the need to pursue a passion, and one of her lifelong passions is books. In a similar vein, Lisa Sharkey became the SVP of Harper-Collins after decades in the broadcast journalism business. She wanted to be there for important milestones in her children’s’ lives, but instead was working late nights and early mornings in the newsroom. Maureen Sullivan, President of AOL, has two young sons of her own and took in all of the fellow panelists advice as she said, “no one has the perfect guidebook on doing this.”

Denise Albert led the second panel discussion featuring Amber Sabathia, Regina Calcatterra, Liliana Gil Valletta and Shelley Ross. After following her husband’s baseball career across the country, Sabathia said had wanted to follow her own path, which led to her founding the clothing line CCandy sharing, “Follow your dreams and do what makes you happy.” Regina Calcatterra, author of the book “Etched In Sand” shared her story of survival in an abusive home and in the foster care system alongside her four siblings. Liliana Gil Valetta, Founder of the XLA Alliance and mother of a young son and pregnant with her second, came to the United States from Colombia as a student when she was 17-years-old in pursuit of the American Dream and now runs a company with 50 employees. Shelley Ross, President of the Cure Alliance and Former EP of Good Morning America, believed in hiring mom’s for senior positions within the newsroom because they provide the most approachable way to deliver news to fellow mothers watching the broadcast.

The final part of the broadcast was a panel moderated by both Melissa Gerstein and Denise Albert featuring panelists Actress and King of Harts Founder Melissa Joan Hart, Orange Is The New Black Actress and Producer Alysia Reiner and Country Music Star Jo Dee Messina. Hart, a mother of three boys, shared that she started her clothing line after being unhappy with the selection of clothes available for boys and desire to do something outside acting, “I wanted to find something continuous. Something where I can go to the office 9 to 5 and then go home and be done,” she shared. Alysia Reiner recently started her own production company Broad Street Pictures, which begins filming its first movie, about women on Wall Street, in July. Reiner shared that when she told her two-year-old daughter about the long hours she was about to face, expecting her to say she was going to miss her mom and would want her home, and her daughter said she was proud of her. Joe Dee Messina shared that her family travels on tour together to ensure she spends as much time with them as possible and books all concerts around her kids’ school holidays. Following the conclusion of the panel, Dee Messina performed the song “Me” from her new album of the same title available now, which is about all of the aspects of life one has to juggle once they become a mother.

About THE MOMS:www.themoms.comDenise Albert and Melissa Musen Gerstein, THE MOMS, are co-creators of a multi-platform lifestyle brand featured on TV, online, in print, in taxicabs and now on radio nationwide. The MOMS are hosts of the SiriusXM radio Stars program The MOMS with Denise & Melissa. Albert and Gerstein have turned motherhood into a platform that reaches millions of parents each year through a town hall event series that they moderate called Mamarazzi® where they provide influential moms and media with access to celebrities to discuss issues surrounding parenting. Recent Mamarazzi events have included celebrity guests Sarah Jessica Parker, Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Garner, Kevin James, Elizabeth Banks, Tina Fey, Hugh Jackman and Pitbull. THE MOMS regularly partner with film distributors, book publishers and celebrity publicists to present engaging and informative conversations concerning topics important to parents. In addition, Albert and Musen Gerstein have presented their fashion show for moms during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week three times called Strut, The Fashionable Mom Show, which they co-founded and showcases a wide range of apparel for real moms where the models are all mothers –– featuring affordable and fashionable options for a diverse audience. From 2010-2011, The MOMS created and hosted a half-hour TV show with NBC called Moms & the City and A Dad Named David. Further, the MOMS are regular contributors to The Huffington Post Parents and Denise to Huffington Post Divorce and have appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America and Fox News Channel among many others. Albert is an “independent” mom (don’t call her a “single mom”) to two boys and Gerstein is happily married and a mom of three.

About Artisanal Fromagerie Bistro:www.artisanalbistro.comDecorated in Art Deco style by renowned architect Adam Tihany—with classic French bistro tables, timber paneling, brass rails and the smell of fondue and freshly baked bread wafting in the air—it feels like you’ve arrived in Paris when you walk in Artisanal Fromagerie Bistro’s door. Owned by veteran restaurateur Sarid Drory, Artisanal showcases upmarket French bistro cooking. A mural-sized painting, which hung in French restaurants since the 1930s, presides over the handsome 160-seat space, and vintage gilt mirrors hang from the walls. Artisanal has also recently added a 65-seat sidewalk café designed by Sarid Drory with handmade Parisian furniture from Maison Drucker and decorative flower boxes. Artisanal is open daily for breakfast at 6:45 am, weekend brunch, lunch, dinner, and late night bites.

We Are Family Foundation (WAFF), a not-profit organization founded by legendary songwriter and producer Nile Rodgers, hosted its annual Celebration Gala, honoring Caryl M. Stern, Bill McDermott and Chaka Khan, and featured a special concert with Nile Rodgers & Chic with Chaka Khan, on Thursday, April 23, 2015 at Manhattan Center’s Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.

The event was attended by more than 500 guests and the money raised furthers WAFF’s global youth initiatives, Three Dot Dash and TEDxTeen. These initiatives support, mentor and provide platforms for extraordinary global teens to amplify their social entrepreneurial work that positively impacts communities in more than 60 countries.

After an introduction by Rosanna Scotto and Greg Kelly, Nile Rodgers welcomed everyone to the event saying he was “humbled and blown away,” by everyone in attendance. He then went on to share that although each year’s honorees are amazing, this year he was particularly moved to honor Chaka Khan, someone he has looked up to for decades. Following his remarks, he welcomed President of WAFF and his partner Nancy Hunt. Speaking about the global teens WAFF works with in more than 60 countries, she said, “They don’t believe in no, only in why not”. She then introduced WAFF’s new Executive Director, Jess Teutonico, sharing her story of starting out with WAFF as a Three Dot Dash Mentor, followed by Curator for TEDxTeen to her current position as Executive Director. Jess shared WAFF’s aim to “empower game changing youth to positively challenge the status quo.” She introduced 17 year-old Nicholas Lowinger, founder of Gotta Have Sole and a CNN Hero who founded his organization after visiting homeless shelters as a young boy. He realized that by not having shoes that fit, children in shelters miss out on a lot of opportunities and suffer from low self-esteem. He started Gotta Have Sole at age 12 and became a WAFF Global Teen Leader (GTL) through its Three Dot Dash program in 2013. Since becoming a GTL, his organization has impacted more than 35,000 kids across the country.

Mattie J.T. Stepanek Peacemaker Award honoree Caryl M. Stern, President & CEO of The U.S. Fund for UNICEF, was introduced by her two sons James and Lee LaRosa. After a video introduction featuring her travels to aide children in refugee camps and her dedication to helping children across the world, Dr. Jeni Stepanek, mother of the late Mattie J.T. Stepanek whom the award is named after, started her introduction with a recording of a poem written and recited by Mattie. She shared that Stern and Mattie held similar beliefs in that all children should have the opportunity to achieve all dreams and they both embrace opportunities for peace. Stern, shared that it was her mother who instilled within her the belief that one person can make a difference. She dedicated her award to the four UNICEF aide workers who lost their lives in a bombing in Somalia earlier in the week, saying that they had dedicated their lives to ensuring children could have a better future.

Maria Bartiromo introduced the Visionary Award honoree, SAP President and CEO Bill McDermott. Following a video presentation which included SAP employees and guest appearances from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Former Golf Player Gary Player and Bono, he spoke to the crowd and said, “You can get anything you want in this life if you help other people get what they want.”

Following McDermott’s speech Toby Usnik of Christie’s led an exciting live auction raising more than $250,000.

Following the auction, Nile Rodgers presented Chaka Khan with the Humanitarian Award. After accepting the award, she joined Nile Rodgers and CHIC for three songs, “Feel For You”, “I’m Every Woman” and “Ain’t Nobody” with a special appearance by Grandmaster Melle Mel. Nile Rodgers and CHIC played their hits at the end of the night, including their new single “I’ll Be There, and ended with the audience joining the band on stage as they performed “We Are Family” and their signature song, “Le Freak”.

About We Are Family Foundation We Are Family Foundation (WAFF) is a non-profit organization that’s dedicated to the vision of a global family by creating and supporting programs that promote cultural diversity while nurturing the vision, talents, and ideas of young people who are positively changing the world. Through global initiatives like Three Dot Dash and TEDxTeen, WAFF has mentored and empowered extraordinary teens from more than 60 countries on six continents by giving them platforms to share their messages, tell their stories, inspire others, amplify their work and foster respect and understanding across cultures. For more information visit wearefamilyfoundation.org

Nile Rodgers and Nancy Hunt

Roger Goodell,Nile Rodgers, Chaka Khan and Bill McDermott

Rosanna Scotto and Greg Kelly

Maria Bartiromo and Bill McDermott

Denise Rich

Nile Rodgers & CHIC

We Are Family Foundation Hosted 2015 Celebration Gala April 28th, 2015user

The New York Center for Children (NYCC) hosted its 20th Anniversary Spring Cocktail Reception on Wednesday, April 15, 2015 at Bar at Clement at the Peninsula Hotel in New York City. The event raised money in support of the organization’s mission to support victims of child abuse and their families with anything they might need.

Over 130 supporters gathered at the Bar Clement for cocktails & Hors d’oeuvres and participated in a silent auction to benefit the charity, which took place through the duration of the event. Auction highlights included a three night stay in a superior suite at The Peninsula Hotel in Paris, a private dinner for eight at Clement, Personal styling and shopping with Kirna Zabete Founder Sarah Easley, a selection of clothing from designer Harrison Morgan, a weekend vacation package for the Westcott B&B in Hudson, New York and a selection of paintings created by NYCC clients.

Kevin Ryan, Chairman of the New York Center for Children, addressed the crowd of supporters thanking them for their attendance. He mentioned that it’s the contributions from loyal donors that help the NYCC execute its mission and provide child abuse victims and their families, regardless of financial standing, with the support they need. The Board of Directorsinclude: Georgette Mosbacher (Founder), Kate Spade (Chair Emeritus),Kevin Ryan (Chair), Michele Herbert, Christine Rales, Heidi Mitchell, Sophie Ann Terrisse, Lauren Vernon, Martin Richards (In Memorium).

Swifty’s Restaurant on the Upper East Side celebrated the start of spring with an Art Show, titled Exotic St. Martin Flower Drawings, featuring renowned painter Christian Brechneff on Thursday April 8, 2015, from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. Guests joined owners Robert Caravaggi and Chef Stephen Attoe for cocktails, tasty hors d’oeuvres, and a look at Brechneff’s latest set of paintings, Exotic St. Martin Flower Drawings.

Brechneff’s exhibition includes 15 paintings and drawings, all available for purchase, of foliage from his travels in St. Martin. Constructed on various mediums, each piece showcases the flower’s movement and structure using fine lines and colors.

Guests who attended included Henry Lambert, Bokara Legendre, Michael Selleck, Marta Hallett, Judith Auchincloss, George and Betsy White, Sherry Von- Korber Bernstein and Mark Gilbertson. Chef Attoe’s wife, Patricia Attoe and her business partner Rebecca Silver, draw upon on their extensive art background in curating the art at the restaurant. New York artist Mary Lou Schempf’s stunning work is exhibited in the front room on an ongoing basis. Her work complements the restaurant’s style and décor which was brought to life by famed decorators Mario Buatta and Anne Eisenhower.

ABOUT CHRISTIAN BRECHNEFF

Born in the former Belgian Congo in 1950, Christian Brechneff was educated in Switzerland, England and the United States and received his MA degree from the Royal College of Art in 1975. Brechneff, a pastel painter, uses fine lines and details of objects naturally appearing in nature as a main source of his inspiration by drawing fine lines and creating movement to force an emotional response to his work. He receives his inspiration through his travels across the world and captures the beauty of the natural surroundings in the places he visits. In 2007 Brechneff published a book of his drawings, watercolors and pastels from 25 years of drawings across Asia called Homage Encounters with the East. Brechneff’s work is displayed in public and private collections across the globe including in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Greece, and the Orange Country Museum, Newport Beach, California. He splits his time between New York City, Hadlyme, CT and Sifnos, Greece ̶̶ the source of inspiration for his 2013 memoir The Greek House- The Story of a Painter’s Love Affair with the Island of Sifnos.

The New York Center for Children (NYCC) is hosting its 20th Anniversary Spring Cocktail Reception on Wednesday, April 15, 2015 at Bar at Clement at the Peninsula Hotel from 6.30PM to 8.30PM in New York City. The reception will be hosted by Christine Rales, Kate Spade, Kevin J. Ryan, Michele Herbert, Sophie Ann Terrisse, Lauren Vernon and Heidi Mitchell, with Special Guest Georgette Mosbacher.

Founded in 1995, the NYCC is the only independent center in New York that offers relief to families and children who have been victims of abuse, providing free, comprehensive therapy for as long as they need. The dedicated staff will never turn a child in need away. The NYCC is a nonprofit that relies on donations to ensure it is able to provide these services.

Honorary Chair of the NYCC Board of Directors Kate Spade believes that at the Center, “Children are supported in their journey to a safer place. There is no other organization quite like it.” To date, the center has helped more than 15,000 families receive care. The NYCC also provides groundbreaking training programs about how to diagnose, treat and prevent child abuse for medical students, doctors, nurses and first responders across the globe. So far, it has trained more than 20,000 medical professions.

Cocktails andhors d’oeuvres will be served and all proceeds of the night will benefit the center.

About the New York Center For Children

Founded in 1995 by the 55-year-old national child abuse-prevention organization, Childhelp, with the aid of the late Broadway producer Marty Richards and philanthropist Georgette Mossbacher, the New York Center for Children (NYCC) is a child-friendly Center, providing free, comprehensive evaluation and therapy services to victims of child abuse and their families. NYCC also offers professional training on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of child abuse. All of the programs and services at NYCC are completely free of charge. NYCC is a not-for-profit organization that relies on donations to cover the costs of operations. NYCC serves all families, including those without insurance. When children come to the Center, they are greeted by specially trained staff, colorful murals on the walls and a playroom filled with toys. In addition to evaluation and treatment, the children at NYCC also benefit from tutoring, mentoring and extracurricular events. NYCC serves children from all five boroughs of New York City. The child-friendly space is located at 333 East 70th Street, on Manhattan’s Upper East Side — an easily-accessible and safe neighborhood for our children to be nurtured back to health.

Spring is in the air, and Southampton Inn is the ideal place to enjoy the tranquility of the Hamptons as the daylight hours begin to lengthen and the warm weather rolls in. Relax and rejuvenate in Southampton before the hustle and bustle of peak summer and enjoy an affordable coastal getaway this spring with friends or family.

From strolling the property’s beautiful grounds and gardens, which begins to blossom and bloom with magnificent color in the coming months, to enjoying on-site tennis with family and friends, Southampton Inn is the perfect place to spend a weekend or longer break. Soak up the charm and old-world ambience of nearby Southampton Village, the first English settlement in the state of New York, which will celebrate its 375th Birthday in 2015 with a host of workshops, lectures, and festivities throughout the year organized by Southampton Historical Museum. The Inn is just steps from the town’s fine dining restaurants, designer boutiques, spas, art galleries and more.

Long Island’s stunning East End offers a wealth of cultural attractions and free outdoor activities to take advantage of, all of which can be organized through Southampton Inn’s friendly guest services team.

The surrounding area offers magnificent museums like the Parrish Art Museum, which has its Spring Fling on April 25, 2015. The concierge at the hotel also has arrangements at multiple area golf courses, including Indian Island Country Club and Cherry Creek Golf Links for guests who want to play a round of 18 holes during their stay. Pet-friendly rooms for an additional fee for those who cannot leave home without their pets. Seven miles of picture perfect beachfront at Cooper’s Beach are just minutes away via the Inn’s complimentary shuttle service, freeing guests from rental car and parking worries. There’s no need to rent a car from the city – Southampton Inn is easily accessible from Manhattan via the Long Island Railroad and Hampton Jitney coach services making it perfect for the ultimate staycation.

In the spirit of the season, with spring bringing rebirth, renewal and re-growth — Southampton Inn has recently renovated its guestrooms with new lighting, carpets, furnishings and modern color scheme. Each room provide guests with the comforts of home combined with the whimsical personality of a great escape. The Inn’s renowned Café OSO, an annual summer pop-up restaurant which takes on a unique persona each year, will reveal its 2015-16 summer theme to an eagerly-awaiting and loyal crowd at its annual Memorial Day Barbeque. The restaurant’s club-casual décor creates a relaxing, non-pretentious atmosphere where guests can enjoy a true Hamptons dining experience with style and ease.

About Southampton Inn

Southampton Inn provides an idyllic, year-round escape for bustling city-dwellers. The Inn is renowned as one of Southampton’s leading hospitality and event venues. Winner of numerous awards, including “Best Breakfast,” “Best Hotel,” and “Best Wedding Location,” Southampton Inn is a warm and welcoming haven with a solid reputation that is richly deserved. Celebrate the art of pure relaxation, indulge in a romantic get-away, or enjoy precious time with the entire family – Southampton Inn has everything for the discerning traveler. With 90 well-appointed guestrooms which are located just steps away from the town’s fine dining restaurants, designer boutiques, art galleries, parks and museums, and a short drive from highly-rated Coopers Beach, the Inn is the perfect home-away-from-home to explore the scenic Hamptons.

We Are Family Foundation® (WAFF), a not-for-profit organization founded by legendary GRAMMY® Award winning musician, Nile Rodgers, will honor U.S. Fund for UNICEF’s President & CEO, Caryl M. Stern, SAP’s CEO, Bill McDermott and multiple GRAMMY® Award winning music icon Chaka Khan, at Manhattan Center’s Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City on Thursday, April 23, 2015. The evening will be hosted by Fox 5 News anchors Rosanna Scotto and Greg Kelly, and will include a concert featuring Nile Rodgers & CHIC, performing with Chaka Khan for the first time on stage together.

The highly-anticipated event will celebrate three extraordinary global citizens: President and CEO of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, Caryl M. Stern will receive the Mattie J.T. Stepanek Peacemaker Award which honors any person who has made a significant contribution toward promoting a peaceful society. Since joining the U.S Fund for UNICEF in 2006, Stern has traveled to more than 30 countries in support of UNICEF’s work to save and protect the world’s most vulnerable children, and spearheaded the organization’s efforts to aid children affected by disasters. Previous recipients of this award include, Dr. Maya Angelou, Paul Simon, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Quincy Jones, Dr. Jeni Stepanek and Deepak Chopra.

Bill McDermott, Chief Executive Officer of SAP, the world’s business software market leader, will receive the Visionary Award, which recognizes a corporation or a person in the corporate world whose philanthropic efforts have made a meaningful difference in our world. McDermott leads SAP’s 74,400 employees and 2+million person ecosystem in executing SAP’s vision and strategy to help the world run better and improve people’s lives. Previous recipients of this award include, Susan and David Rockefeller, Jr., Tommy Hilfiger and Nicole and Matthew Mellon.

International music icon and ten-time GRAMMY® Award winner, Chaka Khan, will receive the Humanitarian Award, which honors a person in the public eye who has made tremendous efforts and inroads into making the human condition better throughout the world. Since she burst onto the music scene in the 1970s as the 18-year-lead singer of the multiracial band Rufus, Chaka Khan has since released 22 albums, racked up ten #1 Billboard Magazine charted songs, developed a vast international fan base and performed on six continents, during an illustrious career spanning 40 years to date. In 1999, she established the Chaka Khan Foundation, a project of Community Partners, which includes a variety of programs and initiatives that assist women and children at risk. Previous recipients of the Humanitarian Award have included Sting & Trudie Styler, Sir Elton John, Steven Van Zandt, Nile Rodgers and Jackson Browne.

“We are inspired by each of our 2015 honorees who show passion to their individual mission and continuous dedication to solving some of the biggest global issues facing our world,” says Nile Rodgers, Founder & Chairman of the We Are Family Foundation. “My song, ‘We Are Family,’ embodies the spirit of our honorees and the We Are Family Foundation, which brings people together to celebrate our differences and share important ideas across borders to make a difference and inspire peace.”

The funds raised will support WAFF’s mission and programs including WAFF’s signature program, Three Dot Dash, which identifies, supports and mentors Global Teen Leaders actively working on programs that address basic human needs and promoting a more peaceful world; and TEDxTeen, a global educational platform for extraordinary teenagers to share their stories and inspire millions.

To purchase tickets, or to make a contribution to the We Are Family Foundation, please visit wearefamilyfoundation.org. Contributions are fully tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Arrivals and reception begin at 6:30pm on Thursday, April 23, 2015 followed by the awards ceremony, dinner and live concert at 7:30pm at the Manhattan Center’s Hammerstein Ballroom located at 311 West 34th Street in New York City.

About We Are Family Foundation
We Are Family Foundation (WAFF) is a non-profit organization that’s dedicated to the vision of a global family by creating and supporting programs that promote cultural diversity while nurturing the vision, talents, and ideas of young people who are positively changing the world. Through global initiatives like Three Dot Dash and TEDxTeen, WAFF has mentored and empowered extraordinary teens from more than 60 countries on six continents by giving them platforms to share their messages, tell their stories, inspire others, amplify their work and foster respect and understanding across cultures.